Telecommunication Systems Technician Diploma Fundamentals of Electronic Communication 2 Module 03

Telecommunications systems and networks Notes

Definition of Telecommunication
The definition of telecommunications is rather broad. Telecommunication involves the transmission of information over long distances, often, but not always, through using electronic aids. Generally, any assisted communication in which there is a sender and a receiver is considered telecommunication. One person can act as the receiver or a multitude of people can act as the receiver. The mechanism by which the information is transmitted can be any type of mechanism, including primitive transmission devices, cables, wires, analog signals or digital signals.

What is Telecommunications?
Telecommunications as a word has its origins in Greek. It's a combination of tele which means 'Far Off' and Communications which is an 'exchange of information'. In its simplest terms "a far off exchange of information". Telecommunication enables people to communicate over long distances. (Telecommunications involves the assisted transmission of data) When you telephone your grandmother, you are using a form of telecommunication. Most people think of electronics when it comes to telecommunications. While it is true that the radio, Internet, television, and computer networks are all telecommunication devices, there are actually many other methods of telecommunication. In fact, telecommunication dates back almost to the advent of civilization. During this time, people used smoke signals, carrier pigeons and beacons to transmit important data over long distances. Telecommunication can exist on open networks in which anyone can have access or on closed networks in which only certain people can send and receive data. These networks are made up of a collection of transmitters (devices used to send the message) and receivers (devices used to receive the message).

Basics of Telecommunication
Telecommunication begins when a person sends or transmits a signal. While many people think of telecommunication as electronics, this is not always the case. Very early forms of telecommunication may have included the use of snare drums, smoke signals, or even carrier pigeons. All of these were devices that helped people to transmit information over longer distances then they would have been able to without telecommunication. Telecommunication has advanced a great deal since the snare drum

and carrier pigeon. Some of the earliest forms of electronic telecommunication include the telephone, telegraph and radio. Telephones and telegraphs used wired connections and were slow to catch on at first. Radio used analog signals and transmitted information over the airwaves.

The basic elements of a telecommunications system are:

a) a transmitter. This device will take the information to be communicated and produce; b) a signal to be transported. c) a transmission medium, this could be over a wire or over the air using the airwaves. The transmission medium, by its physical nature, is likely to modify or degrade the signal on its path from the transmitter to the receiver d) a receiver, which reverses any actions performed by the transmitter in the exact reverse order of the transmitter. The receiver can be designed to tolerate a significant degree of signal degradation. Telecommunication can be point-to-point, from one transmitter to one receiver or point-to-multipoint which is also known as broadcasting.

Developments in telecommunications:
Signal lights - Ancient times Telegraph 1835 Bells Telephone 1876 Telephone Switchboard 1878 Telephone Switching 1891 Rotary Dial 1896 Touchtone 1963 Nortel SL1 - 1970's

Telecommunication Devices
New inventions and devices have made telecommunication reach new heights. With the advent of television, more information was made available than ever before. Like radio, television signals were originally transmitted in analog format. However, recently (year 2009) brought telecommunication policy mandated that all television signals begin being transmitted in digital. Thus, the method in which this generations old form of telecommunication works is still evolving. The Internet, cellular telephone service, and wireless networks have also changed the way in which telecommunication works. These devices allow many more people to transmit data and make it easier than ever to receive data no matter where you are.

Popularity of Telecommunication Devices

In large part, the usefulness of a telecommunication device depends upon how popular that device is. For example, a television is not useful unless enough people own one that someone wants to broadcast on it. The more people who own a television, the more advantageous it becomes to send messages through this medium and the more people begin transmitting data over the medium. This example is demonstrated even more clearly by the telephone and the Internet. If no one had a telephone, then owning one would provide little utility since there would be no one to call. If everyone has a telephone, on the other hand, the telecommunications device becomes a necessity. Likewise, with the Internet, the more people who were able to produce and receive content, the more valuable a form of telecommunication it became. Thus, the basics of telecommunication involve understanding that for a network to thrive as a means of communicating, it must grow.

Advances in Telecommunications
Early methods of transmitting data were imprecise and telecommunication was rather limited. However, telecommunications advanced and changed, becoming far more beneficial. For example, telegraphs and Morse code allowed people throughout the country to communicate and even allowed for international dialogue. The telephone and radio broadened the telecommunications industry even more, opening up a host of new forms of telecommunication options. Television changed the landscape again, and the advent of the internet made telecommunications more interactive than ever before.

Advantages of Telecommunication
There are a great many advantages of telecommunication that caused it to spread across almost every field of daily life. Telecommunications have improved people's ability to stay in touch with friends and family. Grandparents can receive pictures, emails, and videos of their grandchildren over the Internet. Families spread across continents can communicate inexpensively via email or with phone cards.

Telecommunications has changed the landscape of entertainment. People can access hundreds of television stations with the push of a button, getting instant access to enjoyable information. The information contained in MP3 files can be transmitted in seconds over the Internet, enabling listeners to enjoy music anytime and anywhere. Telecommunications has also changed the way in which people work. It is now possible to commute from a beach in Florida, from home, or from anyplace where a computer, a phone or Internet service is available. These advances in telecommunications have not only untethered people from desks, but they have also made it possible for people who might traditionally be unable to be in the workforce- such as those who are caring for children, or those who are disabled- to have exciting jobs and contribute to the business community.

Telecommunication Methods
The more reliable a telecommunication method is and the more people who can transmit and receive data via the method of telecommunication, the more valuable that method of telecommunication is. For example, television and the internet are relatively reliable means of telecommunication. As a result, they are valuable tools for disseminating information. If they could not reach a wide network of people or transmit messages reliably, their use would be limited and the advantages of telecommunication would not be fully realized using these methods. In addition, the more people reached by a method of telecommunication, the more valuable the telecommunication is. A network- which consists of transmitters and receivers- should be as wide as possible in many cases in order to be valuable. For example, the more people who own TVs, the more popular advertising on television becomes, since the network can transmit the message to a wider audience. This isn't always the case- for example, business networks need to be closed networks so information can be transmitted only to select people- but it is often true that the advantages of telecommunication increase as a network widens.

Telecommunication Network - Types of Telecommunication Networks

Telecommunications network is a combination of nodes and links which are arranged in a manner so that the message may pass from the one part of the network to the other by traveling over variable nodes.

Essential Parts of the Network

There are five basic segments of this type of network. These parts include terminals, channels, processors, computers and control softwares. The starting and ending point of the telecommunication networks is known as a network terminal. There are many input and output devices which are often placed under the heading of terminals. Telecommunication processors are often helpful in transferring data between the terminals of the network. These processors also provide variety of control and support functions. Telecommunication channels are the reception and transmission point for the data and messages. The network computers are arranged in a manner so that they establish a network connection using different media, these computer terminals help in communication. Telecommunication network software governs the control and functional activities with the help of software in a network. The structure of telecommunication network has three main components the control plane, the user plane and the management plane. As indicated by its name the control plane carries control information and data. The data plane or user plane monitors the user traffic in the network. The third and last component management plane carries the operation and administration traffic over the network.

Types of Telecommunication Networks

Telecommunication network has many types like wide area network, metropolitan area network, local area network, campus area network, personal area network, virtual private networks, client server network, peer to peer network, network computing. The network which is spread over a large geographic area is known as wide area network. This network has helped businesses which are dispersed over different regions to communicate to the head office. Metropolitan area network covers the area of nearly one city or county. Its area and coverage is more than the local area network and less than the wide area network. The communication of computers in a very small geographical area is known as local area network. Campus area network is a network which is restricted to the small geographical area which is limited to the university campus or a building. Personal area network is a network which is limited to an individual. Virtual private network is built on the principle of secure encrypted network in order to provide complete security to the users. The client server network is network which is connected to the LAN at one end and the back up server at the other end. When a computer uses network browser to connect to the other computers in the network it is known as network computing. Microsoft office online is the good example of such kind of network. Peer to peer network is used for connecting only those computers which have copy rights to use each others resources.

Examples of a Telecommunication Network

The first example of the telecommunication network is computer networks .computer network is set of computers which are attached to each other for the purpose of resource sharing. The second example is the internet. Telecommunication through internet is much easier and cost effective. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology is now the most popular telecommunication technologies due to the free calls that are available for VoIP users. Broadband internet connection has made telecommunication much cheaper, effective, and easy-to-use and what are even more important VoIP technologies are affordable for the great majority of people worldwide. Third example is of the public switched telephone networks, it is a circuit switched network which used to carry analog signals but now it carries digital signals mostly. The fourth example is the working of global telex; it is a set of machines which include tele-printers and tele-typewriters. The last example is of the aircraft communication addressing and reporting system.